


Invictus

by the_7th_swan



Category: NCIS
Genre: M/M, Male Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-18
Updated: 2012-11-18
Packaged: 2017-11-18 23:18:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/566394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_7th_swan/pseuds/the_7th_swan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Tony is confident, competent and not the least bit handicapped despite his disability. A story about determination, preservation and an unconquerable spirit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Invictus

**Author's Note:**

> The poem is not mine. It's William Earnest Henly's. Stolen without approval but with no profit made. It's also my favourite poem of all time.

" _Out of the night that covers me_  
 _Black as the pit from pole to pole_  
 _I thank whatever gods may be_  
 _For my_ _unconquerable soul._  
 _In the fell clutch of circumstance_  
 _I have not winced, nor cried aloud_  
 _Under the bludgeonings of chance_ _  
My head is bloodied but unbowed._  
 _Beyond this place of wrath and tears_ _  
Looms the horror of the shade_  
 _And yet, the menace of my years_ _  
Finds and shall find me unafraid._ _  
It matters not how straight the gate_  
 _How charged with punishments the scroll_  
 _I am the master of my fate_  
I am the captain of my soul."

**Invictus**

"Look, kid –"

"Tony."

"Tony," the lieutenant amended, awkwardly, "It's not that I don't appreciate your application, but let's be realistic here. You can't possibly qualify. You'll never be a cop."

"I don't see why not," Tony returned, as though he'd just heard the most preposterous thing ever.

"Seriously?" the lieutenant asked doubtfully, his eyes begging Tony not to make him point out the obvious. Tony simply shrugged, not rising to the bait.

"I'm just asking you to give me a try."

"You're setting yourself up for a fall," the man warned.

"I do that a lot," Tony agreed wryly and the lieutenant winced, "But I'm not the one that's going to have their feet knocked out from under them. And I can promise you right now: I won't let you down."

*~*~*

"You should have seen him! Ran him down like it was nothing. I've never seen anyone so fast!"

It was all the bullpen could talk about, loudly and in tones of honest confusion, as though they couldn't understand what had happened.

The lieutenant stood in the corner, shaking his head but smiling. His eyes immediately sought out the subject of all the drama, but Tony seemed completely oblivious, sitting at his desk and seemingly immersed in a trashy magazine.

Only his smile gave him away.

*~*~*

"Don't be ridiculous, DiNozzo. You can't go undercover."

"Why?" Tony asked curiously. For a brief second, he missed Philadelphia. He'd been there long enough that they'd stoped questioning him.

"You're too noticeable," his captain insisted and Tony nearly rolled his eyes. Why did people insist on dancing around what they thought the problem was? Tony wasn't made of glass after all.

"I'm a good actor," he corrected gently, "And I didn't make it to Detective because of my looks."

"Look, Tony," his captain began and Tony sighed. He knew what was coming –such statements always began the same way, "It's commendable you've come this far but the truth of the matter is that you're going to have to accept there are some things you simply can't do."

"Says who?" Tony demanded bluntly.

His captain flailed at that, tripping over himself to find the right words.

"Give me a chance," Tony encouraged, giving his best determined smile, "I won't let you down."

His captain looked doubtful, even as he nodded grudgingly.

Three weeks later, the perp was in jail and Tony proven right.

*~*~*

"Hi, welcome to Baltimore! I'm detective Tony DiNozzo and I'll be your guide this evening."

The two agents before him exchanged a glance but Tony never lost his smile.

"Special Agent Gibbs," the male introduced himself, gruffly, "And this is Agent Vivian Blackadder."

"Nice to meet ya!" Tony chirped happily, "And it's rude to stare."

He directed that to Vivian, who flushed with embarrassment and kept her eyes carefully on his face. Tony couldn't resist winking at her, which only made her squirm more.

"I assume you're our contact for a reason?" Gibbs inquired, a trifle dangerously.

"Several," Tony agreed, "The largest being that I'm the best there is. Even my Captain agrees with that and the man doesn't even like me. Which is actually the second reason I was chosen for the job –your reputation precedes you, Agent Gibbs. Since I've no intention of making it onto your shit list, I'll stay out of your way unless you need me."

Gibbs nodded, studying him carefully. Tony, used to that, ignored the man utterly and instead went about doing his job: showing the agents around the crime scene, proving them with whatever information they asked for and generally helping them crack the case while he was at it.

"Good job," Gibbs admitted three days later, the case solved and Tony none the worse for wear, "You start work on Monday."

"Seriously?" Tony couldn't help but blurt, raising a brow. He'd never been head hunted before, for obvious reasons, and he had trouble accepting it now –from a federal agency at that. "You don't think that I couldn't possibly be qualified?"

"I don't see why the hell I'd think that," Gibbs shot back, looking honestly bemused and missing Vivian's incredulous stare, "As long as you pass the testing stage you should be fine, and I can't think of any reason you wouldn't."

Tony grinned and it was bright and honest and full of teeth.

"Neither can I."

*~*~*

"For the love of all that is holy, Probie, just _ask_."

Tim hadn't been working with Tony long and he jumped harshly at the abrupt demand. Kate, working at her desk, didn't even try to hide her smile.

"What?"

"I know you're curious," Tony prompted, "And you're driving me crazy with all this beating around the bush nonsense. So go ahead. Ask."

"Er..." Tim stuttered, flushing, "That is... er..."

Tony sighed dramatically and threw his legs up onto the desk. Tim's eyes followed the movement before they flickered back up. Tony raised a brow.

"How did you become a cop?" he blurted, and then flinched. Tony, however, seemed more relieved than anything.

"Honestly?" he began, looking thoughtful, "I'm pretty sure they were just humouring me. They didn't believe I could possibly qualify so what was the harm in letting me try? Obviously, I proved them wrong. I have a habit of doing that."

Kate scoffed at his smug tone but quickly buried her face behind her computer when Tony shot a suspicious glance her way.

"And how..." Tim tried, before taking a breath, collecting himself, and trying again, "How did it happen exactly?"

"Football accident, back in college," Tony replied, zoning out slightly, "Man, that was such a great game. Personal tragedy aside of course."

Tim looked so adorably bemused that Tony couldn't help but grin and feel slightly sorry for the man.

"Listen Tim," he said softly, "I know it's startling –it takes a little time to get used to, right? Stop beating yourself up and accept that I'm not going to fall apart at any moment. Any time you need me to beat you up and remind you of that, let me know."

Kate laughed and Tim, finally managing a smile, nodded before turning back to his computer. He had other questions –Tony knew that he did –but, for the moment, they could wait.

*~*~*

"Did you see it? Did you see? I totally won!"

Kate grimaced, no doubt realizing she'd have to put up with this for a while. Gibbs, astonishingly graceful in his defeat, merely smiled indulgently. No doubt he was realizing the same thing but was content to let Tony enjoy his moment.

"You got lucky," Kate couldn't help but taunt.

Tony wasn't fazed.

"Jealous," he accused happily, "Just because you haven't yet managed to beat Gibbs yet. Admit it, I totally rule."

Kate made a face. Even after all this time she couldn't suppress the small part of her that insisted she should be better than Tony was. She didn't have Tony's limitations, therefore whatever Tony did well, she should be able to surpass with ease. It was a ridiculous notion, of course, and that was never made clearer than it was in this moment.

Besides, she also remembered how furiously Tony had had to fight to get here, to earn his place, and suddenly, she couldn't find it in herself to be resentful. Tony was the best because he couldn't afford to be anything less.

With a sigh, she let her envy dissipate and shut her mouth, falling in line and following Gibbs' lead. Tony continued to crow his triumph and, smiling, Kate let him.

He'd earned it, after all.

*~*~*

Shirts were disregarded carelessly, thrown rumpled unto the floor and followed quickly by pants. Fierce kisses were exchanged as Gibbs, holding Tony securely around the waist, lowered him gently onto the bed. Tony scooted back at once, arranging himself in a better position and spreading his legs.

Gibbs took in the sight hungrily: Tony, completely naked, sprawled decadently on a bed, his head arched and his cock hard. Catching his eye, Tony lowered his hand and stroked himself softly. When he moaned, Gibbs found himself moaning right along with him.

Deciding sight was all very well and good but that touch would be better, Gibbs joined his soon to be lover on the bed and, for the next several minutes, there was a confused jumble of strokes, kisses and skin brushing against skin. When Gibbs finally had enough of foreplay and lowered a hand to tease at Tony's entrance, he was startled to find it already moist and pliable.

"Cocky," Gibbs scolded lightly.

"Confident," Tony corrected, grinning mischievously, "And in my defence, I clearly had a reason to –oh."

Gibbs would have smirked but, buried balls deep in Tony as he was, he was rather distracted. Instead, he centred himself with a deep breath and began to move. Tony squirmed and thrust beneath him, his eyes mostly pupil and his mouth slightly open as he panted. Gibbs found he rather liked his senior agent like this: flushed, hard and rendered silent.

They'd definitely have to do this again.

Which was desirable anyway if only because it was made abundantly clear that neither of them would last long. They'd taken too long to get here, danced around each other too thoroughly, to bother with taking their time. Slow would have to wait, now was the time to work themselves furiously towards the crescendo and shake apart in each other's arms.

Spent, they lay in a tangled sweaty pile before Gibbs finally designed to move and draw himself free. Tony made an uncomfortable face as he did so, touching his soiled stomach and grimacing. He sat up and looked over the bed, frowning towards the floor.

"Where'd my leg go?"

Lazily, Gibbs looked. Not seeing it, he sighed and got to his feet, searching the floor idly before finding the offending limb hiding beneath the bed.

"Here," Gibbs announced, fetching it out. He examined it to make sure it wasn't harmed but the metallic artificial limb was as shiny as ever. He handed it to Tony, who attached it to what was left of his leg, which ended abruptly two inches down from the knee.

Leg attached, Tony got to his feet, stretched, and made his way to the bathroom to clean up. Gibbs watched him go with admiring eyes, wondering how on earth he'd got so lucky.

Tony returned a minute later, having wiped down, and sat back on the bed before carefully removing his leg and putting it gently against the bedside table, where he'd be able to reach it without fuss in the morning.

"It looks new," Gibbs noted, eyeing it.

"Yep," Tony agreed, grinning excitedly, "You should feel how light it is, Gibbs. That, and the curved shape, should make me run even faster."

"You just like the new gadgets," Gibbs accused lightly, snagging Tony around the waist and bearing him back against the bed.

"Well yeah," Tony admitted shamelessly, snuggling close, "That's 'cause they're awesome."

Gibbs scoffed but wisely didn't say anything. He merely drew Tony as close as humanly possible and allowed himself to drift calmly off to sleep.

 

 

~ **The End** ~

**Author's Note:**

> So... how many guessed leg? Be honest! ^^
> 
> For those interested, there are artificial legs created specifically for runners. This is the sort I imagined Tony having –and they really are a very unusual shape. To help them run, I suppose. If you're curious, there's a link to a picture of one below. Otherwise, use your imagination.
> 
> Leg: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45333000/jpg/_45333645_runner_leg226.jpg


End file.
